Experts have urged people to check their hot water bottles before filling them up to make sure they won't be a danger.
Many people will be opting for these budget-friendly heating devices this winter as the cost of living continues to rise. But it's important to know that they contain a 'hidden' code, which indicates when it was made and how safe it will be to use.
Old hot water bottles are more likely to be damaged and rip open when they come into contact with boiling water. This can cause serious injuries as then it can spill over you or your children, Hull Live reports.
Consumer expert Alice Beer appeared on This Morning this week to explain the system and why it is important. She said she had been contacted by a parent whose child suffered third-degree burns after her hot water bottle had burst as hospitals say it is a regular occurrence.
Alice said: "Half of hot water bottle injuries need skin grafts and surgeries. These are not surface burns, these go really deep."
It's recommended you replace hot water bottles every two years but it's not always easy to tell how old they are. Some have an expiry or manufacture date printed on, but many have a complicated system instead - involving a circle, petals and dots.
Alice said: "I'm sorry, but I think this is the worst system for printing a date because it's so confusing. Inside you have got a daisy wheel date. It's got 12 segments and in the middle of this one you have got a 22. This one was made in 2022. Then you have 12 segments around the outside and those are the months.
"You can tell the month it was manufactured from when the dots end. It's got dots in eight segments so it was made in August."
The number of dots on a hot water bottle indicates the week it was made.
People should also avoid using boiling hot water, and should remove any cover to check the condition of the bottle before filling it up.
A nurse who needed a skin graft after being burnt by a hot water bottle is raising safety awareness to help spare others the same pain.
Emma Walters, from Neath, came home after a night shift in Morriston's Coronary Care Unit. She said: "The house was cold so I filled a hot water bottle with boiling water.
"The bottle had a fur cover and I was wearing pyjamas. I went to sleep on my side with the bottle tucked into my stomach.
"When I woke up I had a large blister on my stomach. I wasn't in pain but I realised it was a burn.
"I was seen by a nurse practitioner in the Emergency Department when I went into work. They said I needed to be seen by the burns department."
Attempts were made over the course of two weeks to heal the burn, but they failed and a skin graft was needed.
"They didn't think it would heal otherwise. It was in a difficult place, on my stomach, with my clothes constantly rubbing against it."
Emma described going through it as "emotional trauma" and injury took many weeks to heal.
Morriston Hospital plastic surgeon Jeremy Yarrow said injuries from hot water bottles were unfortunately all too common.
He said: "The worst I have seen is when patients use them on areas with impaired sensation such as diabetic feet. That could have very serious implications including, in severe cases, amputations.
"Most injuries are caused by bottles bursting or failure of the rubber, particularly if it is old. We also see injuries from prolonged contact with the bottle or part of the bottle cover whilst patients are asleep."
Dr Yarrow recommends following these safety tips when using a hot water bottle, for the best chance of avoiding any injuries.
Hot water bottle safety tips
- Fill the bottle with hot, but not boiling water
- Make sure the stopper is securely screwed on
- Fill the bottle to a maximum of three-quarters full
- Wrap the bottle in a towel to prevent direct contact
- Avoid taking the bottle to bed
- Frequently examine the bottle for signs of wear and tear
- Make sure it has been tested to BS1970:2006 standards
- Expel all air above the water level before sealing carefully, to prevent injury from the escaping hot steam
- Replace the bottle after two years
- Special care should be taken when used by those with sensory deficits, the elderly and children
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
